


Reverie

by DumbAppleG



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark, F/F, Gen, Infinite Tsukuyomi, One Shot, POV Haruno Sakura, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-15 19:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7234921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumbAppleG/pseuds/DumbAppleG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[AU] It felt like dreaming. Sakura lived a happy life with all her friends and everything was perfect until Naruto hit a white rabbit with his poorly aimed kunai. With a white-haired woman she soared above the sky, free of daily worries and weariness. But reality was much crueller...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reverie

**Author's Note:**

> One-Shot for Summer Solstice! Please enjoy~

> _Reverie - pleasant thoughts that make you forget what you are doing or what is happening around you._

 

Sakura was walking along the busy street of Konoha. Piles of snow shimmered under the morning sun. Having been away from the village due to some diplomatic mission, she scarcely missed the last snow in winter. Snowy landscape was an unusual scene in the Land of Fire, a walk with her BBF Yamanaka Ino would be as priceless as... well, Sasuke's terrified face upon seeing Naruto's sexy no jutsu.

Team Seven had been a team of miracle ever since their gennin days, consisted of the top 3 rookie in the Academy. Naruto was an ever-grinning chakra warehouse coupled with tactical mindset. Sasuke came from the greatest shinobi clan in the village and he processed one of the most powerful kekkei genkai Sharingan. Meanwhile, Sakura was no mediocre herself, she was an all-rounded kunoichi, a capable medic specialized in genjutsu and kenjutsu.

At the age of twelve the three of them split up in order to train under the of guidance of the Legendary Sannin. Though Sandaime-sama was kind enough to keep Team Seven banded, it wasn't a common practice them to team up when their mentors hurled them mountains of paperwork that should had been dealt by themselves.

While Naruto's mentor was a helpless pervert, her shishou was a legendary sucker. These made Sakura secretly worship Orochimaru-sama for enduring his somewhat ridiculous teammate when her Uchiha teammate kept claiming the Snake Sannin as a hideous research geek.

Just what kind of people Konoha had in the Council...

Smiling fondly, Sakura continued her way.

 

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined with a wounded look, both of his hands flying up to cover his head. "Why did ya punch me? It hurts! And I didn't do anything —"

"'Cause you blowing ego threw a poorly aimed kunai and consequently hit an innocent hare, dude." Sasuke taunted, his Uchiha complex surfaced.

"What the heck, teme! You are the one with ego problem!!!"

It was spring time. Team Seven had promptly decided to enjoy themselves a whole winter of paperwork and ANBU missions. As a result, the best of Konoha elites grabbed a handful of C or D ranked mission under Sandaime's nose and fled, leaving a yelling Hokage and shell-shocked Iruka.

Understandingly, all kinds of ridiculous requests emerged in time of peace, like interrupting a blind date under the lady’s request to make sure the male guest considered her as a lesbian. But to retrieve a piece of golden bamboo leaf in the Land of Snow? This was way too weird. Bamboo only grew in warm temperate zone and Sakura was pretty much sure the Land of Snow was freezing cold.

"Naruto! None of us are happy about finding some non-exist plant. But one doesn’t simply hurl his kunai randomly!"

Body flickered to the wounded rabbit, Sakura examined its wound with her keen eyes. She was glad Naruto didn't hit anywhere vital, but the bloodstain on its white plushy fur was too startling to be pleasant. So she knelt down and carefully gathered the fluffy little thing into her arms and summoned her chakra. The healing energy enveloped her hand like a glowing green glove as she closed the terrifying slash on the rabbit's belly. It was a delicate work, and Sakura paid no head to her teammates' childish antics, which involved Naruto's sexy no jutsu ("It is art, dattebayo!") and Sasuke landing himself into hospital because of constant nose bleed ("Shut the damn up!").

It didn't take her long to heal the rabbit completely. When she was finished, the rabbit nudged her palm with its small furry head and hit Sakura's soft spot for cute little plushie. Then she saw something glittered at the edge of her vision.

"Boys, look at there," said Sakura in her half-kneeling position. "From this height you can see the rock beneath are eroded by water, producing a large cavern for plants to grow... hard to discover it without luck or Neji's Byakugan."

"Whoa! So I did make some contribution hitting the rabbit. Otherwise Sakura-chan won't be able to discover that!" said Naruto, jumping up and down on his feet.

The rabbit wriggled in her arms and Sakura let it go on its own will. Before she stood up and turned to her teammates, Sakura was very much sure it had cast a contemptuous glance at her blonde teammate.

 

Sakura had never heard such things like rabbit gratitude-paying.

Warily Sakura eyed at the white haired woman with two brown horns that resembled rabbit's ears. Naturally no one would be enraptured after returning to her apartment at the dead of the night and found a strange woman in her room.

"I don't believe you, lady. There's no rabbit-turn-in-to-human things in this world," Sakura deadpanned. Given the fact she had to take over all the administrative affairs and major emergency operations since Shizune been away from the hospital, she was completely drained and she didn't care how this woman got into Konoha. She longed for a sweet sound sleep instead of someone kept speaking with her.

The apathetic woman named Ōtsutsuki Kaguya tilted her head slightly and her white cascade of sweeping hair ensnarled moonlight. Her clear pearly white eyes warmed fractionally. It was of tremendous beauty, so beautiful that Sakura colored up like an overripe tomato! And kami bless her, this rabbit woman just made her blush with those eyes!

"But you did save my life, Sakura-san, and I wish to return my favor," said the woman quietly. "See the jagged end of my hair and these burns on my gown? My kinsmen betrayed me. With incredible luck I escaped at the expense of my power, which reduced me into the form of rabbit."

Sakura knew she was supposed to bring this Kaguya woman to Konoha T&I Force and hand her to Orochimaru-sama or Ibiki-senpai. But she was also a medic and medic was supposed to help whoever in need. Sighing in defeated, she took a step forward to the seemingly apathetic woman. "I'm sorry to hear that, you must be very upset about the treachery... Let me check your body in case you've got some internal damage. I am a medic and I can help you."

"There is no need to do so. You have healed me completely four days ago in that snowy land."

"Don't like having a medic exam you, do you? Just like Sasuke and Neji-san, never go to hospital unless they are bleeding to death..." Mildly agitated, Sakura rolled her eyes at the lack of response. Despite of having short round eyebrows and flat brown horns, the woman in front of her was giving off the same I-don't-need-a-medic aura just like all the problem patients she had encountered in Konoha Hospital, especially elite shinobi and clan prodigies. Come to think of it, Kakashi kept rewriting his record of sneaking out without doctor's approval for all these years, Sasuke refused to go to operation room because he considered it disgraceful to land a Uchiha in the hospital, preferring Orochimaru-sama's lab over a platform of well-trained medics. And Neji-san... "Wait, are you related to the Hyūga family? Don't be offended, but some of my friends have same white eyes like you and they were from Hyūga clan."

Kaguya frowned faintly. Then something strange happened, yet Sakura couldn’t figure it out.

"Oops! I must have zoned out, Kaguya-hime."

Grinning sheepishly, Sakura apologized to the beautiful woman. How could she had sidetracked in front of the most noble guest of Konohagakure and... and dressed in this mess! She should have changed her clothes in the hospital and then took Kaguya-hime to have their dinner! Oh sweet kami, she had just screwed up!

"Sorry hime, I gonna make you some tea. Which do you prefer? Green pu-erh, milk oolong, Liuan Leaf or —"

"Sakura-chan," quietly Kaguya interrupted her ramblings. "The night is young, but you are exhausted. Is your work in the hospital stressful today?"

Sakura blinked. "Yeah, it's a bit of tiring. But that's the life of ninja. I have work, I have missions, I have teammates. I want to a happily-ever-after for everyone."

"Then what about yourself?"

"I believe in the... I, I don't know. It's just... What are these things all for?"

"We feel empty inside, because our hearts are tied, by chains of secular. The life on earth is meaningless; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again."

"But..."

"So long as we leave the ground, we will be out of the maze of dream and flesh."

"...Really?"

"Yes. Why not take my hand and let me show you the truth?"

 

They were free, soaring in the night sky and numbering the stars. Those chains that had bounded her to the earth scattered one by one as they climbed up through clouds and winds.

"You like it?"

Sakura gazed at the rabbit woman beside her. In those pearly white eyes, she saw lies, but she decided to drawn herself in to the beauty and love within. Vacuum was supposed to be cold, but someone kissed her forehead and warmed her face.

"Yes I do," she replied softly. "I love you, Kaguya. How I wish you come into my world earlier."

Beside her, Kaguya smiled faintly, then she dissolved into countless flying white sparks. Soon the remains of the Rabbit Goddess faded and then darkness over took.

Yet darkness was welcomed. It tasted like the toxic juice of life. Sakura felt as if she was floating in the vast ocean of emptiness and she wished to see the edge of world. And those stars, now they gave off no light, nor did the Sun. But she knew they were at their places, as if she was the one, and one was all.

Around her was the sweet aroma of spring cherry blossom, mixed with grass and hay and the smell of virgin snow. In the void ethereal voices echoed, clean and sacred, washed away mundane dusts and burdens. And in front of her spirit was the glorious gate to paradise.

 

"Under the Will of Fire we mustered our power. And with this joint force we fought off Akatsuki and its army of edo-tensei, we defended our village and protected the next generation of Konohagakure. But all these triumph did not come without expense."

Dressed in Hokage attire, Kakashi addressed solemnly to his fellow comrades on scene. It was the grand funeral for those who had gave their lives during the Fourth Shinobi World War. The Ten-Tails had reduced the headquarter into dust and those who had stayed there had nothing left. Heaven cried, but could it understand the grief of children losing their fathers?

"...We shall not forget those who fought and sacrificed on the front line either. Forever we will hollow the name of Hyūga Neji. When the terror of Ten-Tails stroke, he was the one stepped forward and shielded his comrades with his own flesh. We miss him, for he was our assuring backup during battles, for he was the hardworking genius living in the nearby block."

Heavy rain poured down. On the cold black surface of the Memorial Stone new names were added. Each name counted as a life died young, each held precious memory of a loving spirit. This was the life of a ninja: laugh, when they can; fight, when they have; mourn, when they died.

"And Haruno Sakura, a faithful friend, a loyal kunoichi, a benevolent woman. She healed, and helped us stand; she fought, so we could live. There was a spirit in her eyes, but death conquered eventually. In the darkest night she pointed us sun rise, but she fell, only one step away from dawn."

Among the mourning crowd Naruto whipped away his silent tears. Still he couldn't take it. How could Sakura-chan left them like this? Without her Team Seven was broken, incomplete; everything was no longer the same. For weeks he had been suffering from night terrors, watching his female teammate shield him and Sasuke over and over again. Sai refused to attend this funeral and Naruto had heard Kakashi-sensei telling Yamato-taichou how much he regretted about ignoring Sakura back in their gennin days.

"It's my fault. She would have survived if not for me." Sasuke whispered, his usually sharp eyes now empty and hollow. "We couldn't seal Kaguya without her. Yet Infinite Tsukuyomi black slashed at her just because we were venting at each other... I am a fool, Naruto, she'll never forgive me for what I've done."

""Don't say so, teme." Naruto replied with a shaky voice, but he forced himself to compose.  "You are a real bastard, however, she... Sakura always cared about your well-being, remember? Just be a man so she can rest in peace."

In front of them stood Tsunade, the last Senju in the shinobi world. The blonde woman didn't cry at the loss of her favorite pupil, but in the background, far and high on the Hokage Rock, rain water rushed down her stony face as if she was crying.

 

Title: Reverie

Author: Hyaline

Type: One-Shot

Word Count: 2183

Created on: June 17th, 2016

Completed on: June 21st, 2016

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto properties.

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke

Additional Information:

  * Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, also know as the Rabbit Goddess, is the mother of the Sage of Six Paths and the woman behind Infinite Tsukuyomi.
  * Green pu-erh/milk oolong/Liuan Leaf, different kinds of tea n the medium price range.
  * Edo-tense, Impure World Reincarnation, the summoning technique Kabuto performed during the Fourth Shinobi World War.



**Author's Note:**

> Let me explain myself: the majority of this story is about what happened inside Sakura's head, aka a genjutsu world produced by Infinite Tsukuyomi, while the last section shows what's going on in reality.
> 
> In her dream world, Neji wasn't dead, Orochimaru stayed in Konoha during lab research, and Sakura herself was on par with Naruto and Sasuke. Then Kaguya, being defeated in reality, invaded the dream in the form of a wounded rabbit. Kaguya brainwashed Sakura and the two of them left the land of livings. And before her kingdome, Sakura realized she was decieved by Kaguya, but she decided to forgive the Goddess... Dark plots, huh?
> 
> Anyway, please tell me what do you think of this one-shot! Kudos and virtual cookies are also welcome ^_^


End file.
